Death at the Manor is the third Lily Adler historical cozy mystery by Katharine Schellman. Released 9th Aug 2022 by Crooked Lane, it's 336 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out in third quarter 2023 from the same publisher. It's
worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of
contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've
really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is a nice historical mystery set in the Regency era and featuring a
well rounded cast of characters, including young widow Lily Adler,
recently arrived in London from Hertfordshire and still in semi-mourning
for her late husband. The mystery is written around a framework of
real history which gives it some verisimilitude. The background research was inserted seamlessly and the whole is quite polished and engaging.
The writing is articulate, the narrative arc and
tension are well engineered, and with a satisfying denouement. The dialogue
isn't ever clunky or cringe-worthy (and for modern Regency fiction,
that's saying something). There are some minor developments between the main characters which will be spoiled by having been read out of order, but nothing major. The mystery is adeptly crafted and the motives for the crimes are believable (for fiction).
Four stars. Highly recommended, especially to fans of the genre.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
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